


Wherever You Are

by Maddzz



Category: Preath
Genre: F/F, Football, Soccer, USWNT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 04:58:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6501658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maddzz/pseuds/Maddzz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Football was one of the biggest things in both Tobin's and Christen's lives, it brought them together as teammates and kept then together as friends. But much like the game itself, things change between the two. Whether that's a good thing or not, well, that's up to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Preath Fanfiction, I don't know how often I'll update this, hopefully once a fortnight at least

*nobody's POV* 

She was one for the simple things, something with meaning but was still subtle enough to almost be missed; She liked to appreciate the small things people missed. She had a special place in her heart for soccer however, a not so simple thing. Her most prized possession was a number 23 jersey, soon to become a favoured number 12.

She had a place in Chicago where she play's for the Chicago Red Stars. It's her home for now, she loved the place, but did want a move. She's the starting striker but she felt like it's only because she's a USWNT player, not because they actually appreciated her. 

She had a few options, she wasn't sure which one she'd take, or if she would even make the move at all. The Portland Thorns are an option, seeing as they had put out their interest in the striker before. However Orlando Pride and Houston Dash both had expressed interest earlier this past year. 

Houston Dash housed many opportunities, she had fellow national squad players, along with a fairly nice place to live. She still had the problem of finding a house when she did move there however.

Orlando Pride was a great option, she had friends and other national team players situated there. She could stay with Alex or Ashlyn until she found her place, and the state was friendly and full of opportunities. 

Portland Thorns was the team she was most interested in. It was just depending on if they still wanted her. She loved Portland, having been there plenty of times to visit a certain midfielder. The team had a great structure with tonnes of talent within it. Tobin was probably the biggest magnet for the striker, they were the best of friends and had great chemistry on the field. Tobin had told her many times she would be happy to share her place with Christen if she made the move, her apartment was big enough for two as she had said many times. Something Christen was not opposed to at all, even if it was only a one person place. 

She could stay with the Red Stars, but she didn't like the environment. The team was great, she loved her life in this city; she just wasn't comfortable within the team. It was affecting her performance and she could tell, everyone could tell. If she was aloud to move it'd be a big decision and not one she'd take lightly. 

Tobin however was quite content with the place and the team she was with now. She loved her teammates and she loved her apartment, the team also respected her as a valuable player. She had hoped for Christen to transfer to the Thorns, but her decision was still undecided. Soccer was still the biggest thing in both of their lives at this point, so a potentially career changing decision was not one anyone would take lightly.

*Tobin's POV*

'I'm so bored Chris,' I complained over the phone, continuing to pace along the marks in the floor. 

'I'll be there soon, then we can do something,' her voice returned over the small speaker. You could almost hear the smile in her voice, it made me smile just listening to it. 

'Like yoga, gross,' I teased, grinning to myself, this was sure to cause a reaction. 

'It's not that bad, you're just no good at it,' she responded, laughing to herself. Not the desired reaction, but it'll do. 

'Whatever you think, I'm just so good I don't want to knock you off your feet with my talent,' I answered, continuing to pace the length of the airport terminal. 

'You wish. I've almost got my bags, I'll be with you in five,' she huffed into the phone, probably from lack of sleep. 

'I'll come help you, you're probably tired and all,' I replied making my way over to the luggage section. 

'Tobin!' Christen yelled from across the terminal, dropping her bags and running into my arms. It felt so good to have the forward in my arms again, it's been over a month since I last saw her. I could have stayed in that moment forever and ever. My chest almost felt like it was going to burst with the amount of emotions I was feeling right then. 

'It's so good to see you again, I've missed you,' I admitted holding her tight against me. 

'I'm glad I got the time off to fly over before camp, I need my best friend,' Christen whispered just before releasing herself from my arms. 

'We should get you home, you look tired,' I told her picking up her two relatively light bags. Each was a light shade of purple, hard to miss. 

'I can carry them Tobs,' she laughed linking her arm with mine. 

'I know, but you know, I'm just taking this chance to work out my arms,' I toyed, shooting a glance in her direction. Her unbelievably green eyes shone in amusement, a small grin gracing her face. 

'Honestly what am I going to do with you,' she giggled, playfully rolling her eyes causing me to laugh with her. 

'Preferably stop picking on me,' I continued, raising an eyebrow playfully. 

'Yeah yeah, anything for you,' she smiled, again. It made my chest full of an almost unknown emotion, I shrugged it off continuing our playful banter. 'So...I talked to my coach, and the staff, they will let me leave...' 

'But?' I asked, waiting for the rest of what she had to say. 

'They want a player trade or something equally as valuable,' she finished, sighing lightly. 

'The Thorns staff and players talk about trying to get you over all the time. But you've probably got bigger clubs looking for your signature,' I replied, desperately holding onto the small amount of hope I had for her to move here. 

'Houston and Orlando expressed interest as soon as it was announced I wasn't settled at Chicago. Portland have always wanted me though, if it was arranged the Thorns would be my first choice, then probably Orlando,' she shrugged, I couldn't contain the happiness after she said Portland was her preference. She could come here, permanently. 

'I could maybe, hint at them, you know, a slight push in the right direction. Oh and this is where I parked,' I announced, opening the passenger side door for her. She thanked me quietly while hopping into my old but still perfectly fine jeep. 

I'm glad she's here for the week before camp, it's good to spend time with her by myself. As much as I love seeing her when we're with everyone else, there's just something about being alone with her. The feeling I got when it was just us was ten times stronger, I liked it yet had barely an idea of what it was. I knew deep down what it was I was feeling, but something in my head was blocking me from admitting it to myself. It felt like I knew a secret I wasn't supposed to know. 

After securing her bags in the back of my car I leaned heavily against the door. 'You've got to be kidding me,' I whispered, clenching my fists. The feeling inside of me creeped up more and more with every step I took alongside Chris. I knew exactly what it was. 'Fucking, fuck,' I whispered louder. Why of all people, why?

Yanking the door of my small black jeep open I flopped almost angrily into the drivers seat. Sighing unintentionally loudly I started the engine, twisting the key roughly. 'What's up?' The calming voice beside me asked. 

'Nothing inportant,' lie. 'Saw someone I didn't like,' lie. 'I'm all good, just a little moody, I'm good now,' lie, again. 

'Are you sure,' she asked, placing a comforting hand on my thigh, my muscles tensed up immediately. 

'Y-yeah,' I replied, feeling my face heat up quickly. 

'You feel tense,' she stated, looking at me with a concerned gaze. 

'It's fine, I'll get over it soon,' wow I've lied a lot today. 'Probably just hungry,' I answered, pulling a small smile. 

'Alright if you say so, I've got my eye on you though Tobs,' she warned, retracting her hand from my thigh. My muscles relaxed instantly, thankful she had removed her hand. It wasn't that I didn't like it...it was because I did like it. That's the problem. My inner monologue was telling me...no, screaming at me to brush this off, forget it all, but my head was telling me to the opposite. 

The car ride was spent in a steady conversation about what had happened over the last month. Christen had told me all about her past month in the space of one fifteen minute car trip. She beamed widely after announcing she had learned some new yoga stuff, then excitedly told me about how she had taught her dog a new trick. 

We had planned to go to my final preseason match of the year against Seattle Reign together. She had decided she wanted to see how the team played just in case she made the move here. I wasn't thrilled but nervous at her decision, having her there would spur me to play better, but would fill me with inconsistent nerves.

What if she did want the transfer to us? What if she actually did make it to the Thorns. Would I always play like a nervous mess? Would I play better? There's too many variables to think of right now, I want her here though, more then anything. I was itching to discus her move, and possible future with Portland but I didn't want to push the subject at all.

*****

'Well, this is home, your rooms right across from mine, I'll show you,' I announced, walking up the few short stairs that lead to the front door of my flat. It was a two bedroom place with a small kitchen and a bathroom, and living room attached to a dinning room. I was fortunate enough to have a small backyard too. 

I fumbled the keys several times before getting them in the lock, something I'd done many times before, naturally clumsy some would say. The front door was heavy, especially trying to open it with one arm, leaning all my weight onto my shoulder I leant on it, effectively opening it. 

'I already feel at home,' Christen whispered, taking a small step in behind me. 

'I'm glad, what's mine is yours while you're here,' I replied, she could have anything, I wouldn't even mind if she took me...

'As long as I'm with you that will be perfect enough,' she muttered airily, smiling wide, letting her gaze inspect the inside of the house. 

'Oh great, does that mean I'm going to be stuck with you filling me like a puppy dog for an entire four days,' I joked, Chris glared back, playfully hitting my arm. 'Ow that hurt,' I sulked, even thought it really didn't. 

'You're such a sook, what am I going to do? Kiss it better?' She retorted, giggling softly. 

'Well I mean, it's pretty late, I could just sleep it off,' I sassed back. 

'Tobs, it's only eight thirty,' she replied, continuing to laugh at my expense. I didn't mind at all, it just meant I got to see her eyes sparkle for longer. 

'Well I usually go to bed at about seven, so it's pretty late,' I responded in sarcasm, grinning when I noticed her roll her eyes. 

'Baby,' she retorted, sticking her tongue between her teeth. I actually didn't mind her calling me that, she could call me that everyday and I'd be happy. As long as she wasn't calling me a child kind of baby, then no. 

'Takes one to know one, anyway, since I'm a baby I'm going to show you your room then I'll go to mine and sleep,' I teased back, grinning when she rolled her eyes, again. Making my way up the hallway to my left I showed her my room briefly, not brave enough to show her it in all it's messy glory. Her room was directly opposite, the same set up as mine, but a heck of a lot neater. 

'Take a shower, put on something comfy, we can watch a movie to let the sleepiness wear off,' I told her quickly, nodding to myself in congratulations for not messing my words up. 

'I like that idea, we should definitely do that,' she replied as I walked off, leaving her to do her thing while I changed. I decided on a pair of old training shorts and baggy shirt, knowing I'd be too lazy to change before bed later on tonight. The water started running as I finished tying my hair up in a half bun. 

Sitting on the edge of my bed I contemplated a few things. One being the fact I had no idea what we'd watch and if it was something scary I'd quite literally have Christen sitting in my lap. Two was the fact I had to restrain myself from thinking things while she was in the shower. Maybe once or twice I gingerly thought about running my hands up and over the curves of her body. Maybe I had imagined what I would be like to be in there with her, all this I knew I had to stop. 

I played endless games on my phone distracting me from any inconvenient thought, not that it really helped. My mind was one to wander, never settling on one thing for an overly long time. Well unless it was a someone. 

The water stopped abruptly while I was scrolling through Instagram, an indicator Chris had finished in the shower. That meant I would see her again within the next few minutes thankfully. 

'I'm back,' she voiced from my doorway, appearing there in sweatpants and a tight top. I sat stunned for a few seconds, half drooling half contemplating some really stupid things. 

'Oh, well, we should probably go get the movie started,' I answered, blushing deeply. Hiding my face in the dark shadows of the house. 

'Good plan,' she replied, making her way down the hallway, thank god. Something about her every move made me itch pleasantly inside, like a comforting tick of an old clock. 

'What do you want to watch?' I ask, flopping down on the couch beside her. 

'I dunno, what do you like?' She replied, getting herself comfortable. 

'Well I haven't seen the Conjuring yet,' I answered, half alluding to my somewhat different motive. 

'I like that one, we should watch it,' she answered, handing me the remote. Setting the TV up didn't take long, with a few clicks of a few buttons the title scene began to play, emitting an eerie music. 

We talked softly during the movie, not enough to distract us fully to what was happening but enough to take Christen's focus off of the scary parts. She ended up falling asleep against my shoulder towards the end, which was kinda handy, and kinda nice. 

'Chris, are you awake?' I whispered into the darkness, the lack of light preventing me to see anymore then a faint outline of her figure. No response came, a clear indicator she was in fact asleep. 

Luckily for both of us she was a heavy sleeper and she wasn't very heavy at all, I could easily carry her back to her room. Picking her sleeping frame up off the couch was the hard part fortunately, the rest was simple. We teetered off down the hallway, missing every obstruction in my path. Luckily for her I avoided bumping her head on the walls, which half surprised me knowing how clumsy I can be. 

Tucking her gently into bed was the easiest part, all I had to do was push down the covers and slip her in. A relatively simple task given the circumstances. 

'Goodnight Chris,' I mumbled before toddling off to my room.


	2. Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this a chapter two? Oh yeah it is

I awoke to the sound of soft sobs coming from across the hallway. It took me a minute to register just what it was, as soon as I did I jumped out of bed almost tripping on the blanket. Creeping around the room with no way of seeing in the dark and a sense of urgency I managed to stumble on pretty much everything; a sock, a shoe, what felt like a marble, and even a ball I had left laying around. 

I made my way to the wall, feeling around almost unsuccessfully for the light switch. Once I hit the switch I became immersed in bright light, much brighter then normal due to my sleepy eyes. 

I still managed to shuffle my way across the hall half blinded half asleep towards the spare room. 'Chris...Christen? Are you alright?' I mumbled through the door. 

'Y-yeah,' came her muffled reply, she sounded like she had tried her best to hide another sharp cry. 

'I know you're not, can I come in?' I asked, desperately waiting for an affirmative response. 

'O-okay, yeah,' she answered, sniffling quietly. I turned the door knob slowly, before entering and closing the door behind me. The room was semi dark, my eyes having adjusted to the lack of light now. She was hunched on the side of the bed frantically dabbing at her face with a tissue. 

'Hey, it's okay, you're okay,' I hushed, sitting beside her. She looked once into my eyes before burying herself abruptly in my chest, taking the top of my shirt in her grip. Breathing in deeply I wrapped my arms protectively around her, silently willing whatever it was that hurt her away. 

'I didn't mean to wake you,' she mumbled lifting her head to my shoulder, only to hide it in my neck. The cool dampness of her tear stained cheeks contrasted quite sharply with the hot skin on my neck, it gave me a type of sensory goosebumps. 

'It's okay, what's going on? Do you want to talk about it?' I whispered, letting one of my hands slowly run up and down her back. 

'It's three in the morning, you should just go back to sleep,' she replied, gripping my shirt a little tighter. 

'I can stay here until you fall asleep, if that helps,' I suggested, hugging her tighter.

'Can, can you maybe just stay?' Came her shaky response, this time she lifted her eyes to meet my gaze, a look nobody with sanity would ever reject. 

'Yeah, I can do that,' I answered, letting go of her warm figure so she could lay down. I slid myself in beside her, resting my head on the pillow so I could face her. 

'Goodnight, Tobs,' she whispered, forming a small ball near my chest, I placed a protective arm around her shoulders, letting her know she wasn't alone. Once her breathing became steady and her soft sniffles had stopped I relaxed, knowing she had managed to drift into some sort of sleep. Gently I placed my lips against her forehead, kissing it ever so tenderly. Smiling to myself I fell into a deep sleep with my chin just above her head. 

********

*Christen's POV*

I always woke up early, it must be something about the early morning sun. This morning was different, I didn't get up until ten, much much later then normal. Maybe it was later, but the reward for sleeping the extra few hours was the gorgeous form of Tobin. She had a leg lazily in between mine, and an arm slung across my waist. 

My initial reaction was to relax and enjoy it, which I did for a minute or two, maybe three, until it dawned on me that friends don't do this. I shouldn't be in bed, tangled up with her, yet here we are, in bed, tangled up in each other. Do I let her wake up like this? Do I leave? What if I just pretend to go back to sleep? Yeah I'll just do that, she can react how she wants when she wakes up. After all I was the one that asked her to stay, I think.

I laid peacefully on my side, synchronising my breathing to the rise and fall 0f her chest. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, almost picture perfect in so many ways. Loose strands of dark, tangled hair covered her face messily. Her breathing wasn't quiet but it wasn't quite a snore, just semi heavy breathing. 

She wasn't smiling in her sleep like the generic photos of pretty girls, she had a neutral face. Not frowning not smiling, it was a reminder she was human, she was real and she was right here. Her face wasn't perfectly lit up with the morning sun like most photos, it was half covered in a glimmer of shiny morning sunlight and half covered in a dark shadow, a lingering reminder we had been here all night. 

The room itself was uncharacteristically neat for a room in her house. A clear cut reminder she wasn't meant to be the one in here, yet I had asked her to stay with me. The only evidence anyone was actually staying in the room was my suitcase against the far wall. It almost felt like a dream, to be here, with her, even if it was only to be short lived

Tobs began to stir beside me, presumably waking up by now, it was ten thirty now. I had my eyes almost all the way closed, just peaking out the bottom. Her eyes opened wide for the first time today, she sighed a little, not negatively, I wasn't quite sure why. She sleepily cuddled back into my side so her face rested upon shoulder and her chin came to rest on my collarbone. She wrapped an arm around my waist even tighter then before, she was kinda like a koala. She let her eyes travel up to my face, presumable registering the scene in front of her.

My heartbeat uncontrollably rose straight away, it caused my breathing to become unsteady and my chest to rise and fall quicker then normal. 

'I know you're awake,' she mumbled sleepily, almost slurring her words. 

'Y-yeah, sorry,' I replied shakily. 

'I should probably get off you now huh,' she laughed halfheartedly, opening her eyes once again. 

No, stay, it's nice, I love it, don't move. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind waking up every day like this. 'Well I mean if you want,' smooth, Christen. Smooth. 

'Why are you up so late?' She queried, rolling sideways off me, her body heat instantly disappearing leaving my chest cold. 

'I didn't want to wake you up,' I shrugged sleepily, attempting to hide the crimson blush rising on my face. She wasn't supposed to know I was awake, that backfired. 

'You should have just pushed me off, I can be a little clingy at night, sorry,' she apologised not realising I didn't mind a single bit. 

'Really it's okay, if you're comfortable then I'm comfortable' I told her, blinking away the last remnants of a long sleep. 

'Do you want to talk about last night? I mean if you're comfortable with it-' she began, rambling out the last sentence and a half before I abruptly cut her off by placing my finger gingerly against her lips. 

'Maybe later, not right now,' I replied, sinking back into the comfort of my pillow.

'Well I'm here when you're ready. I'll leave you in peace while you wake up, I'll have breakfast ready in about fifteen,' she replied, slipping out of bed.

I chuckled quietly to myself, she thinks I need time to wake up, I've been up for over half an hour. I rolled over onto the edge of the bed, slinging my legs over the side, what was this girl doing to me?

***********

Breakfast had been fast, Tobin had her last training session with the Thorns at eleven thirty, meaning by the time we actually got up we only had fifty minutes to get ready and leave. Surprisingly Tobin dressed herself in record time and ate within about fifteen minutes, much the difference to camp, that took her at least half an hour, if not more. 

I on the other had had taken ten minutes to get changed and ready alone, neglecting anything fancier then a hoody and sweats. Breakfast for me was eaten in the car, contrary to popular belief, it's incredibly difficult to put toast in your mouth while hurtling down a highway. I managed with an uncertain amount of laughter, I even had Tobin tell me I should have worn a bib. 

My motive for coming along today was a secret meeting of sorts with the Portland board. The plan was to discuss a possible move with the requirements that Chicago wanted. It wasn't going to be easy, but if it worked my way then I'd be playing for the Thorns right after our next training camp for the friendly against Columbia. Chicago wanted either a player trade or something considered as valuable as that, basically it was almost impossible to meet their demands without loosing something important. However I believed if it went smoothly, I could mend that gap afterwards. Noticeably by scoring goals hopefully, my favourite thing to do. 

The pros of moving to Portland stacked up very high, closer contact with one of my best friends, whom I liked a hell of a lot more then I should probably admit. Appreciative staff and fans would probably also be abundant here, not to mention the fact I could play alongside my USWNT teammates instead of against them. I loved my fans in Chicago, and my family and my teammates, but what I didn't like at all, was the lack of respect I got, I was treated like an asset not a human. Hopefully with a move to Portland I'd be treated like an actual human being and not just a goal scoring asset.

Sure there was still Orlando and Huston I had the option to transfer to, but I knew where my heart was set, and it wasn't at either of them. 

'Remind me not to sleep in ever again,' Tobin chuckled as we pulled up outside the training pitch, hopefully a sight I would get used to seeing someday soon. 

'Hey Tobin, don't sleep in ever again,' I teased playfully. 

'You think you're so funny don't you,' she returned, giving me her signature eyebrow raise. My immediate reaction was to grin wide and nod my head furiously. 'What are you going to do while I train?' She asked once I'd finished being pleased with my lame joke. 

'That's for me to know and you to find out later,' I shrugged, I didn't want her to know until I knew I was definitely getting the move here. If I told her she'd get her hopes up and then be disappointed if the move didn't happen. I'd rather her not know at all until I was certain, then have her worried about it until something happened.

'Okay, come find me when you're done yeah?' She replied, hoping out of the car, her boots made a satisfying crunch on the gravel below as she did. 

'Sure, off you go,' I answered shooing her away, not that I really wanted her gone at all. I would have loved to just sit here, in her company and talk all day, but we both had things to do.

******

I was sitting in a big black office chair, it was probably the most comfortable I'd been in a while. The room I was currently situated in was a bleak creamy colour, pretty plain if you ask me. Adjacent to me was the big man himself. The one who would tell me what my future would hold. 

'We want you, but what are we going to have to do to get your signature on this page,' the lead staff member asked, prodding the sheet of paper in front of him. He was an older man, slightly greying hair, round glasses and a thick moustache. He was neatly dressed, a casual suit and his hair was trimmed, most likely recently. He had an authoritative stance, arms folded most of the time, gaze always locked with who he was talking to. 

'I have the list of things Chicago wanted, I know this is supposed to be done through the clubs and all, but I really want this done as fast as possible. Knowing them they would have dragged this on for months,' I answered nervously, hoping to god I was making the best first impression I could. The envelop I had securely in my grasp was offered up to him, it was what held whether I could move or not. Would they comply with the demands? I wouldn't know for some time yet, I just hoped they did. 

I watched his concentrated face as he scanned over the letter, reading every word carefully, it was his job after all. He displayed little emotion, a quick eyebrow raise and an eye roll once. Nothing major. I desperately wanted a smile, or a nod, something positive...it didn't come. 

'Lucky for you, we have a player wanting a transfer, I'll propose a swap. This isn't a definite yes, but it's a big step in that direction. Other then that, we'd love you here Miss Press, what are your thoughts on the club and why did you pick here out of all the other teams?' He asked, gently running his fingers through his moustache. It was cliché really, he looked like he was in a Wild West themed movie, well aside the suit. 

'You have no idea how much this means to me, to hear those words no matter how small that glimmer of hope is. I love this club, I like how every player I've spoken to feels welcome. I like the city, I have a lot of friends here, and I'd have somewhere to stay while I got myself set up,' I answered, beaming widely and unexpectedly. When you hear the news that you could possibly be with your best friend for well the rest of your career life, everything looks bright. I'd miss Julie a lot, I really would, but there would be camps we could catch up at and I could fly over to see her. 

'I see, Tobin talks about you a lot, she's quite fond of you. Always telling us about the "awesome goal" you scored against such and such, or "guess what Christen did this time" you two you have great chemistry on the field,' he returned, cleaning the inside of his glasses on the end of his suit jacket. 

'Oh, she's too kind,' I replied, feeling my cheeks heat up yet again at the mention of Tobin's name. Ridiculous really. 

'I have a meeting to attend very soon, so I'm going to have to leave. Just know I'll get that request sent out right away,' he announced, collecting a variable amount of paperwork and stuffing them a little carelessly into his briefcase. 

'Thank you, pleasure doing business with you,' I replied standing up to shake his hand. His grip was unsurprisingly strong, yet it felt soft. 

I followed out behind him letting my mind wander yet again, it has become a habit of mine. Whether it was thinking about someone or thinking about something it always seemed to happen. Now it wandered too a place where both Tobin and myself played on one team team, not two. My preferred way of how things could work. 

I made the short walk down towards the fence line where I could watch the girls train. A few I knew waved and shouted greetings the rest shrugged it off and continued training. Tobin spent a longer time looking in my direction, smiling and waving brightly. What she didn't notice however was the ball a teammate on the opposite side of he field had kicked over. It connected with her thigh, in what sounded like a harsh hit. She shook her head, yelling out something cheeky to the girl who had kicked it, she only replied with a "get your head out of the gutter Heath. Back too training" I couldn't help myself but to laugh a little.

I leaned against the fence for the remaining forty three minutes contently watching the team, well Tobin. She had this way with the ball, it was almost like she had complete control over it. Kind of like she'd tied it to her boot with string. Not to mention she was especially cheeky, doing little tricks every chance she got. That was her, just another one of the small things that made her Tobin. 

'So I call this look the "It's actually water not sweat" but believe me I need to shower before we go. I'll only be another fifteen at the most, you can wait in the car if you'd like?' Tobin announced bounding over to the sideline as soon as practice had ended. 

'Gross,' I fake gagged, taking the keys from her outstretched palm. 

'You still like me though right?' She asked playfully, giving me the "puppy dog eyes" look she had so skilfully mastered. Did I like her? Yeah I did. Did I like her more then I should? Definitely. 

'It's debatable,' I threw back sticking my tongue out before running off to the car before she could squirt me with her water bottle. Her car was just how we left it, thankfully. Sitting there in all its old glory, olden but golden I had been told many times before. Unlocking the car I realised just how much I was going to have to thank Tobs for parking in the shade. It was like a sauna inside from just being in the shade, let alone what it would have been like if we parked it in the sun. She's smart , I should remember that.


	3. Leaving

'So I see Christen's staying with you,' my fellow USWNT and Portland Thorns teammate Allie Long had noted once I arrived for training. She was probably the only person I opened up to about most things, that's why we were so close. Most people assumed she "ruined things between Alex and I" but there was nothing going on between us in the first place. Alex was my best friend but nothing more. 

Still she had no idea of any of the feelings I had for Chris. No idea, nada, none. I think I was the only one that even a slight idea, and even then I barely understood my own feelings. I had spent years getting to know Christen, and each time I found it harder and harder to leave her when camp was over. It was this that lead me to figure out I had feelings for her, but now they were becoming harder and harder to ignore. 

'Yeah, she's with me until we fly out too camp,' I replied, smiling to myself mostly but also at the fact I had an entire three days alone with the dark haired beauty. 

'Stop smiling, it's contagious, what's put you in such a good mood?' She laughed as we began our partner warm ups, simple passing and stretching.

'Nothing, I'm just naturally happy,' I replied, taking a quick glance at the gate where I had last seen Christen, she wasn't there anymore, where would she have gone?

'Bullshit, the last time you smiled like that was when I used to mention-' Allie had begun before I silenced her quickly. 

'Shut up, not a word,' I cut in, how was she so good at this? Well reading people to be exact. 

'So do you like her?' She asked, taking the change in colour of my cheeks to a light red as the final confirmation. 

'Well like, you know, in a friendly way,' I spluttered after taking a minute to revaluate my entire life history of any sort of attraction to her. 

'Sure, right so how long?' She probed, desperately curious for more information that I was unwilling to give. I didn't even know how long, was it a month? Had it built up over the past years? All I really knew is I no longer felt platonically attracted to her, there was something much bigger then that now. 

'Fuck, Allie I don't even know myself. I just know it's not friendly anymore. That's the first time I've even admitted it out loud. Allie wait, fuck I have feelings for her, how did you even, fuck,' I whisper yelled as my coach called us into the beginning of training as a whole. 

'Take it easy, Tobin. Think about it while we finish up here,' she left me with that. That's it. She left, with nothing more then that. She just left me here to train with that lingering in my mind. "I'd thank her later" no doubt.

The little things ran through my mind the entire length of the remaining time allocated to training. The times when I subbed for her, or she subbed for me and we hugged, fuck. The times when we finished games and would always seem to gravitate towards each other, fuck. The glances I always stole when I thought she wasn't looking, fuck. The way my heart sped up and my breathing faltered when I picked her up from the airport, fuck. The countless amount of times I'd found myself thinking about her with no real reason, fuck. 

Only now had I realised properly, why had it taken me this long? Was I really that bad of a procrastinator to leave it until now to figure this out? You've got to be kidding me, now what am I going to do with myself? 

'Allie! Allie?' I called out, she shook her head and mouthed "you're welcome." How I hate how right she was, but how I loved it at the same time. 

With fifty minutes to go, I was alerted to Christen leaning against the fence, watching us train. A few of the girls that knew her had shouted out and begun to wave. I let my eyes wander over to meet her glance, I smiled widely and waved to her, she grinned back and returned the gesture. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her no matter how hard I tried now, thankfully she wasn't looking away anytime soon either. 

Her eyes just looked so green, so pure. It was as if I was looking into beauty itself, a living embodiment of pure perfection. It was a moment where I could feel my heart beat speed up, and I could hear my breathing become louder. Maybe it was because I've never looked at her with the realisation I quite possibly loved her. I say love because I know it's not as subtle as "liking" her. It's more then that, it's when we used to go out late at night and just hang out about until morning. It's when she fell asleep on my lap while we where watching TV. 

I knew I was in trouble, I knew it without a doubt in my mind. I'd procrastinated this for so long that it had build into something more then "feelings" so much more. I wasn't even mad at myself though, I was almost pleased. 

Before I could completely drool over her Allie had kicked a powerful corner style ball right into my thigh sending a painful shockwave through my leg. 'What was that for you-' 

'Head out of the gutter Heath, back too training' she replied, making me blush a deep, deep red. It's not that I was thinking anything much differently to normal, it was the fact that she acknowledged the feelings I had. 

I continued the last forty three minutes kicking tricky balls and juggling, my mind wasn't really in a place for serious training right now. 

'Alright, that's it for now, hit the showers then you're free. For those of you going away on international duty I'll see you back afterwards, good luck. The rest of you I'll see you back here at the regular time,' our coach had yelled, dismissing us with a casual flick of a clipboard and nothing more then a small smile. Thankful for the chance to get out of my sweaty gear I dumped the contents of my water bottle on my head leaving the last few mouthfuls for later. 

'So I call this look the "It's actually water not sweat" but believe me I need to shower before we go. I'll only be another fifteen at the most, you can wait in the car if you'd like?' I announced as I made my way over too the fence line where Christen was sitting. 

'Gross,' she replied, fake gagging but taking the keys I had offered her. 

'You still like me though right?' I asked playfully, giving her my well practiced "puppy dog eyes." Always seemed to do the trick when it came to her, always. 

'It's debatable,' She threw back sticking her tongue out before running off to the car before I could squirt her with my water bottle. 

I smiled too myself as I walked off into the shower rooms, the thought of her still implanted in my head with no intention of leaving anytime soon. 

********

Today was the day we flew out to camp, the day I no longer had Christen to myself. I wasn't particularly upset because I'd see her everyday anyway, but I'd admit that I'd miss having her fall asleep on my coach leaning up against my side half way through a movie. We were however going sit together on the plane and had planned on being bus buddies because Alex had decided she wanted to be with Morgan from now on. I had a lingering suspicion Allie had asked her to do it, because I had gotten a text yesterday asking "how's Christen going" from Alex, not something she'd normally do. 

'You all- p-packed?' I stuttered as Christen emerged from the bathroom, with only a towel covering her body. My eyes widened immediately while my head left earth and entered heaven. The majority of her skin was on show, her tanned legs and shoulders being almost completely exposed. 

'I uh, sorry I forgot my stuff, but I'm packed,' she mumbled quietly, making her way towards her bedroom door. I nodded briefly, afraid I'd stutter again, not something I did often. But then again, that's not something I saw often either. 

Shaking my head, removing any lingering thought I shouldn't be having I decided to pack the car up. Shoving my dark green suitcase full of useless amounts of snapbacks and sweats, they were comfortable and I wasn't going to remove them to put in anything else. I got everything into one bag, just the bag was threatening to burst at any moment but for now it was safe. Christen had been the smarter one and packed two bags instead, both pretty much full but neither overfull. 

I hated being dragged away from my thoughts, I hated it more then most things. The only time I was ever okay with it was when it had something to do with Christen, surprise surprise. When my phone vibrated in my pocket disrupting me from my thoughts, I was more then content with it being Christen. 

2:00- Christen > Dork: Where'd you go? 

2:01- Tobin > Chris: Oh I went and packed the car up, I didn't leave you, promise :))))

2:01- Christen > Dork: don't worry it's not like I missed you or anything ;P want me to meet you out there?

2:02- Tobin > Chris: I have to lock up, but sure

With that I slid my phone back into my pocket and resumed my mission of stuffing the last suitcase into the car. It barely fit but it did, I just had to remember that it might actually jump out and attack me when I opened the car up again later. 

Meandering up slowly towards the door, I met Christen on the stairs. She had the leather jacket she wore all the time and a nice pair of jeans on, it was probably one of the best looks she had. Digging around my pocket I removed my keys and put them into the front door lock, turning it until I heard a faint click. 

'You look nice, too bad you'll be on a plane with nobody to show it off to though,' I grinned, making sure I opened the passenger side door for her. 

'Thank you, I've got you haven't I,' she replied, jumping almost quite literally into the car. 

'I uh, I guess so, yeah,' I blushed, taking her words in, probably not the way she intended them, but I did anyway. Much to my surprise, she smiled in my direction and proceeded to not say a single word after that. Just kinda left me there, just me myself and my thoughts. 

*Nobody's POV*

Tobin drove in silence, Christen sat in silence. Tobin stared out the windshield, carefully concentrating on the road, Christen stared out her window then at Tobin then back out her window, repeatedly. Tobin was left thinking, something she didn't do deeply very much, she was a carefree happy spirited person. Christen however had a few things on her mind, how cold Tobin must have been in a t-shirt and jeans, and well Tobin in general. 

Christen didn't often put her emotions on show, but the way Tobin's been acting around her the past few days made her feel like she was about to burst and admit a lot of things she wasn't quite sure of herself. 

In reality neither of them were quite sure what to do about anything regarding each other. Christen was content with picturing things that she thought would never happen. While Tobin was in a constant stage of panic whenever Christen was in a twenty meter radius. Both a little delusional but both still coping in different ways. 

Insecurity was Christen's fabric, she wore it everyday. It wasn't just like the fabric of a shirt, it was like the loose threads you found on yourself even after you've taken the shirt off. She just couldn't get rid of it. Had Tobin known just exactly how Christen felt, she'd have been in complete shock. For Tobin saw Christen as a godly being with ethereal beauty, she was like a bright, burning star in a world of comets. 

*Christen's POV*

'Do you want the window seat?' Tobin had asked, sitting herself down next to me in the waiting area. Knowing Tobin she'd probably fall asleep half way through the flight and forget about the view anyway, probably why she was asking to switch. 

'Don't you want it?' I replied, running a hand through my dark tussled hair. It was windswept from outside but it wasn't unkept, just a little out of place, I actually liked it. Tobin's hair was quite messy, but not like she'd just woken up, it was in a pony tail with pieces falling out here and there, it looked good on her; but then again everything looked good on her. 

'I'll fall asleep, I always do on planes, I don't know why,' She shrugged, while I tugged the top of my jeans back into place. 

'If you don't want it then that's cool,'   
I replied, watching as Tobin rubbed at the rapidly forming goosebumps on her arms. 'Here take this I'm warm enough,' I suggested, unzipping my leather jacket. It must have been a tempting offer, it was pretty cold in here, but she'd probably deny it knowing her. 

'It's alright, once we're on the plane it'll be warmer. Besides you'll get cold without it,' She replied, attempting to stop her legs from bouncing up and down. 

'Really it's fine, take it,' I offered again, this time taking it upon myself to slip it over her softly shaking shoulders. Seeing that she sunk into it, pulling it close against her chest made me smile quite wide; it was something about knowing I'd made her more comfortable. 

'Thank you,' she grinned, attempting to hide as much of her body inside the jacket as possible. 

I decided to pull out a magazine I'd Packed this morning, something to pass the time. It was just celebrity gossip, not at all that interesting but it made time pass quicker. Tobs had decided to go through her Twitter while she was free, reading some of the messages her fans had sent and replying to a few; not that I was looking at what she was doing. 

Each segment of the magazine seemed to get less and less interesting. It really was all the same, "CELEBRITY SCANDALS" and "Is She Pregnant" not to mention the countless "Are They Dating" articles. Too many. I was more then thankful for the airport to announce our flight was now boarding. 

Tobin almost jumped out of her seat, probably half asleep. I couldn't help but laugh at her sudden reaction to the not so quiet racket of the loudspeakers. I didn't at all blame her, it scared me a little too. 

'Ready?' She had asked, seemingly to have now recovered from her shock, she'd probably play it off. 

'Ready as I'll ever be,' I smiled in response, throwing a friendly arm around her shoulders, not missing the way she tensed under my touch. Deciding she wasn't comfortable with it, I removed my arm while we walked down the gate into our plane.

We made our way down the isle until we found our designated spots, immediately becoming comfortable in our seats. I had a view, and well, Tobin had a shoulder to lean on when she fell asleep. 

How right she was about falling asleep too, we hadn't made it more then fifteen minutes when I felt her head hit my shoulder. Dead to the world, she was out. I was almost thankful We didn't have to sit in close proximity while she was awake. Knowing me I'd say something, or she would, then I'd blush and it would just be a dead giveaway. Then again, having her breathing against my neck wasn't doing me any favours either. 

Contently I watched her sleep, finding solace in the steady rhythm of her breathing. It was calming, just having her here next to me did wonders for my mind. Emotional enrichment you could say, Tobin was one of those people that made you calm and collected by just being there. 

I couldn't resist the urge any longer then half an hour to take a photo of her while she slept. She just looked so peaceful, I couldn't not do it. It's not like I would post it anywhere, I just wanted it mainly for me. Sure I'd probably send it too her, maybe Julie as well. I'd told Julie once that I liked Tobs, she told me "I know you do" while smiling like an idiot. It confused me for a few reasons, because when I told her I meant it platonically, not anymore though. When I told her the second time, and this time that it wasn't friendly she said "I told you I knew last time" and then proceeded to be extra annoying and ask just about every question she could possibly think of about Tobin.

I know I'm crazy, but I had this lingering suspicion from that particular morning I had woken up with Tobin. I wasn't even completely sure I believed it myself, but, I had the feeling she might of actually liked the way we were. That maybe she purposely cuddled herself up closer assuming I was asleep, I know I would have. That's all I've been able to think about since then, it's a shot in the dark, but it's hope. Hope for us, hope for something more then we already have. It'd be incredibly lucky if we actually did end up perusing something more without stumbling over what we already had.


	4. Interrupted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's currently 3:20 in the morning. I'm sorry for any mistakes

'Training starts in five, get yourselves warmed up!' Coach had yelled out, not bothered by the fact almost the entire team looked like they rather be anywhere but the cold field right now. 

Most of us grumbled our acceptance of the fact and a few of us greeted the chance to get warm with open arms. I sat in between, desperately wanting to be huddled up somewhere warm, but also desperately wanting to train to get warm. Indecisive most would say. 

I knew today was mostly going to be fitness, my least favourite thing. I'd rather just be given a ball and told to this and that, I'd much prefer that. But alas I was here, doing fitness, death as I do kindly called it. Really though, who wanted to run around and around and around and then do sit-ups? Not me. 

I'd decided I'd stay with Allie, maybe avoid talking to as many people as possible today. It's not that I was in a particularly bad mood, I'd just been so close blurting out something to do with Christen all morning to everyone. At least if I said something around Allie she already knew right? Besides she was my best friend, she's great company. 

'So, how's Christen been?' Allie asked as I sat myself down beside her. The mention of the strikers name immediately put a smile on my face, a stupid one at that. 

'She's great, it's been awesome being able to hang with her for so long. Rumour has it, she was talking to the head of the Thorns board while we were training. She might come to Portland!' I expelled maybe a little too enthusiastically, the stupid grin refusing to leave my face. 

'Up and at em, warm ups are over, get moving to the first drill!' Coach had yelled once again, a favourite pastime it seemed. 

'I bet you're happy with that, I'm your so happy again, I love seeing you smile like this,' she puffed as we began our jog, the most pleasant part of training. 

'I'm ecstatic! We did a lot of bonding over the past few days, I'm where I want to be in life right now, content,' I huffed, picking up the pace as we rounded a cone. 

'I heard off Kelley that she talks about you a lot, not getting your hopes up, but,' she relinquished, squinting her eyes as we changed direction, running directly into the wind, perfect. 

'We're just good friends you know, she's just being friendly,' I sighed, as much as I hoped it was something more, there's only a slim chance. 

'Whatever you say, oh Ashlyn's going out tonight, Christen's going, along with Ali, Kelley, Hope, and Kling, the usual suspects. She wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go?' Allie asked, in between taking deep breaths of air. 

'Well if Christen's going I'm in,' I answered quickly, coming to a halt right at the end of the first run. 

'Great, Ash's taking a team van, meet her out the front of the hotel by eight,' she returned, stopping alongside me. 

**********  
I emerged from the hotel second last, Christen was probably somewhere behind me, I probably should have waited and walked down with her. 

'I'm a little late sorry,' Christen announced from beside me, apparently appearing out of thin air. She had on a tight top, the silly leather jacket I loved, and a pair of simple jeans. She really did look great, as always. 

'You look nice tonight,' I complimented Christen, feeling my cheeks yet again heat up. 

'T-thanks,' she replied, tripping on her words, uncharacteristic of her. 

'Is that everyone?' Ashlyn asked, counting the number of people we had. 'Yep that's all seven, get in, Ali has shotgun,' she finished, opening the back door to the van for the rest of us. 

'Mind if I sit next to you?' I asked Christen as I ducked into the van. 

'Sure, come sit,' she replied patting the seat beside her. The van wasn't overly big, which meant we had to kinda all squish in, not that I had a problem being shoulder to shoulder with Chris though. 

The drive was only five minutes long, would have been less if the traffic wasn't as bad as it was tonight. It was almost bumper to bumper everywhere. I guess that's what you get on a busy Friday night. 

I followed Ali into the club, too shy to walk with the rest of the group while Chris was around. 

'Jeez Tobin, get her a drink then talk to her. You're driving us insane,' Ali stated, turning around to face me. How did she know? 

'How did you-'

'I can tell. It's the same way Ash used to look at me. Shoo, go get your girl,' she replied, practically shoving me away. 

Taking her advice for once I went and found Christen, taking to Kelley which was no surprise really. 'Can I get you a drink?' I asked softly, once she had given her attention to me. 

'Yeah sure, you don't mind if I go for a little bit?' She replied, looking at Kelley. 

'Nah, go get em,' Kelley smirked, nudging Christen's side. She appeared to be blushing a little, maybe, I wasn't so sure. 

'The usual?' I asked as we sat down on the barstools. 

'Yeah that would be great,' she smiled, turning her seat so it faced mine, I was glad for it. 

After getting the attention of the barmen and getting our drinks, we started some small talk nothing much different from normal. 

At one particular point I felt this rush of courage come through me, I wasn't quite sure what it was. Probably the presence of alcohol in my system. 

'Hey Chris? Can I, can I ask you something?' I asked, turning to face Christen. It was now or never. 

'Of course you can, I kinda have to tell you something too,' she replied, getting herself closer. 

'Christen I-'

'Well hello there,' a short blonde girl semi slurred from behind me, by the looks of it half drunk but still okay-ish. She wasn't too bad looking either, baby blue eyes, long blonde hair and a killer smile. 

'I'm uh kinda in the middle of something if you don't mind,' I told her gently, the last thing I wanted to be was rude, but I'd finally gotten the courage to tell Chris and I didn't want to waste it. 

'Yeah, we both are,' Christen added, almost death glaring the poor girl. It's not like she'd done anything wrong yet, something had definitely fired her up. 

'What's a pretty girl like you, doing in a place like this,' The stranger asked, sitting herself between Christen and me, ignoring what both of us had just said. Perfect, there goes that opportunity. I mouthed a quick "I'm sorry" to Christen as I though of some sort of scheme to get rid of the girl. 

'Look I really done mean to be rude but like, we're kinda busy,' I tried and seemingly failed at getting her to leave. 

'Oh are you two dating? My bad, when I see someone so beautiful I just have to introduce myself,' she giggled, attempting to stroke my cheek with her shaky hand. I leant back as far as possible out of her reach, luckily it worked. 

'What? No! We aren't, good friends, sorta,' I mumbled, raising an eyebrow in Christen's direction. Her face was no longer the happy smiley one I had come to know, but now her facial features were mixed anger and confusion. 

'Look, we're busy, kindly go,' Christen semi growled through gritted teeth. If I had of known better I'd say she was jealous. 

'Don't be so rude, you aren't dating, let me talk to this pretty girl without you interrupting. Common courtesy,' the stranger hissed back, taking the opportunity to place her hand on my thigh. 

'Okay no,' I squeaked, half jumping out of the barstool. 

'Well looks like your friends gotten you all worked up. Call me?,' she replied, sticking a napkin with what I assumed was her number into my pocket. With that she left, leaving me in shock, and Chris less then impressed.  
The first thing I did was throw away the napkin, at some unlucky bystander who had no clue. 

'I uh, can we start again?' I asked, moving my seat back to where it originally was; next to Christen.

'Go text your "girlfriend" miss drunk,' she replied, rolling her eyes and turning back to face the bar. 

'Hey woah, no that's not what it's like. I don't even know her,' I answered, shocked at her response. She was being a little irrational if you ask me. 

'Yeah okay, whatever. Tell that to the next person who has their hands all over you,' she huffed, sighing dramatically loudly. Why was she being like this? I hadn't done anything wrong? 

'Christen, look, I don't like her. What's the matter? Did I say something?' I asked, sliding my hand on her knee, she tensed up right away, but she didn't shy away. 

'It's nothing, don't worry,' she huffed, turning herself further away from me. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't just let her be angry, even though I had no idea why. Deciding this had to end I stood up and made my way over so she was facing me.  

Taking her left hand in my own to get all of her attention I waited until she looked up into my eyes. 'Hey, tell me what's up?' I asked gently, watching a few strands of her dark hair fall to cover her face. 

'Why didn't you take her number? She's attractive, and you just lost an opportunity you won't get everyday?' She sighed, letting her eyes fall to her lap. I grinned at her response, so she cares. Mustering all the courage I had, I lifted a shaky hand to gently brush the misplaced hair back behind her ear. 

'I didn't like her Chris, someone else has my attention right now,' I shrugged, feeling my cheeks unintentionally heat up. 

We sat in silence for a good two minutes, equally at loss for words right now. I watched her bright eyes flicker across the room every now and then, occasionally returning to meet my glance but quickly reverting elsewhere. 

'Tobin?' She asked, somehow managing to inch her way even closer so we were practically touching without me even noticing until now. 

'Y-yeah,' I stuttered out, dragging my eyes lazily from her lips back up to her eyes. 

'I uh, you, we, kiss me?' She spluttered out, making her cheeks turn a light pink. 

I sat there stunned, completely and utterly stunned. Every fibre in me was screaming at me to move and kiss her, but I sat planted here, not moving an inch. I just sat here shocked, she began to shake her head and get up to leave. I shot up, taking her face in my hands, still mildly shocked before crashing my lips too hers. She reciprocated instantly to my surprise, her lips felt like silk against mine, I could taste the faint hint of her strawberry lip gloss along with a hint of alcohol. She broke away after only a few seconds, resting her forehead against mine. 

'I didn't think you were going to do it,' She hummed, ghosting her lips over mine, letting her nose brush against mine.

'I didn't think I was going to be able to do it,' I whispered, closing the small gap between us once again, this time not so gingerly. I tugged her full bottom lip in between my teeth, relishing the way she dropped her hands down around my waist as I let mine fall around her shoulders. Our light simple kiss had quickly turned a little heated, pushing her backwards a little until her back hit the bar behind us. 

I couldn't stop myself no matter how hard I tried, I was just drawn to her. The next thing I knew her hands were in my hair and I was gripping her hips a little harshly. Neither of us felt threatened by the general public, which was pretty clear when she decided to try and deepen the kiss with her tongue. Mildly shocked, a little turned on, and slightly buzzed from the small amount of alcohol, I accepted her advance immediately. 

'Wanna head back?' I asked, panting slightly from the lack of air. I was still buzzing, and twice as thrilled as I've ever been before. 

'Yeah, but Ashlyn drove us here in a team van,' she answered, dragging me a little closer to her. 

'We can take a taxi,' I suggested, once again getting lost in her eyes. 

'Let's do it, text Ash first,' she grinned, blushing under my gaze. 

'Okay, I'll tell Ali, she's more responsible then Ashlyn,' I replied taking out my phone as Christen lead me through the small crowd by my hand. I didn't spot any of our other teammates, so I'd have to text Ali. 

10:39- Tobin>Ali: Chris and I are heading back, so you won't need to take us with you in the van 

10:39- Ali>Tobito: I told you, behave ;)

Rolling my eyes I chuckled while slipping my phone away into my back picked just as Christen lead me outside. The night air was quite refreshing and did wonders after being cramped in with so many people. We spotted a taxi quickly and gave the address of the motel hastily as we climbed in. I couldn't keep my hands off her it seemed, luckily neither could she. As soon as the taxi took off we continued where we had left off in the club. 

Christen's almost perfect hair had been turned into a mess of tangles pretty quickly, my jeans had been rolled up at the bottom, we were in a little bit of a mess but yet neither of us seemed to mind. 

'Keep it safe ladies,' the older bearded taxi driver had announced, his greying eyebrows raising as he checked on us in the mirror. We both mumbled an embarrassed "sorry" and disconnected from each other, itching to get back to the hotel. 

He dropped us off, collected his fair and drove off again, leaving us where we could continue in peace. 

'My room or yours?' I asked once we had gotten in the elevator. Still slightly shaking in shock and anticipation. 

'Yours, Kelley won't let us ever live if she comes in and we're together,' she sighed into my neck. 

'That's probably true, my rooms closer anyway,' I shrugged, throwing my arms around her waist, bringing her in to rest against my chest. 

'I could kiss you forever,' she mumbled, letting herself exhale deeply. 

'I'm not opposed to that, as long as we get snack breaks,' I grinned, kissing her forehead. 

'I'm tired,' she slurred sleepily, leaning her full body weight on me. It was a welcome feeling, to have her comfortable enough to just do that. 

'Then let's just sleep when we get in,' I suggested, entwining my hand with hers as the elevator stopped. 

'I want to kiss you more though,' she yawned, trying her best to hide the fact she was undoubtably tired. 

'That can wait till tomorrow, we have all day,' I replied, using the small plastic card to open the rooms door. 

'Can I sleep with you tonight?' She asked gingerly, leaning her head on my shoulder as we walked in the door. 

'Of course, do you want something to sleep in?' I asked, walking into the room that I slept in. It was a little messy but it worked. 

'Yeah please,' she replied, yawning yet again. Her tired self looked so cute, her eyes weren't wide open and her smile was a little dopey, but it was still cute. I went through my not so neatly packed suitcase, pulling out a t-shirt and some sweats before chucking them over to her. 

She thanked me quietly, stripping to her underwear right there where she stood. I tore my eyes away, not before admiring her perfectly toned body, maybe for a little too long. Thankfully I don't think she noticed. Thinking nothing of it I did the same before changing into my own clean clothes. 

I practically jumped into bed, not even bothering to pull the covers back first. Christen laughed sleepily, pulled the covers back then set herself down beside me. 'Before we go to sleep, I have to actually be an adult for a second I'm sorry,' I grinned, turning to face Chris. 

'You want to ask "what are we" don't you?' She mumbled, dragging herself into my chest. 

'Well yeah, sort of. I just wanted to know if you maybe wanted to be my girlfriend? I've had a thing for you for a long time, but I just recently figured it out. Anyway that's not important, I like you a lot,' I whispered shyly, watching her facial expressions carefully, there wasn't much to go on, but it looked positive. 

'Of course I do you dork, more then anything,' she replied, seeming to wake up a little. 

'I was kinda worried there for a second, I'm clingy when I sleep too, sorry,' I chuckled nervously. 

'It's okay, I can be too, goodnight Tobs,' she whispered, setting her chin down just under my collarbone. 

'That's good, I'm glad. Goodnight Christen,' I replied for the last time tonight. Cuddling myself up as close as possible to her as I could. 

***********

'WAKE UP!!' Ashlyn sang from the doorway, sending my newly awakened self into hell. 

'Shut up...' I hissed, rolling back over to cuddle into Christen's side. Oh Christen, it wasn't a dream holy shit. 'Wait, Christen, Ashlyn, bedroom, it wasn't a dream!' I shouted, earning a glare from Christen and a smirk from Ashlyn. 

'So my roomie finally got some guts, anyway, I won't be here today, thought I'd let you know. Date day,' she explained, closing the door and walking off. 

'Is that all she wanted, really?' Christen grumbled, clinging to the front of my shirt. 

'I think so, she probably just wanted an excuse to wake us up,' I sighed, letting myself get comfortable again. 

'We're going back to sleep right?' She asked, her eyes remaining shut. 

'Of course,' I mumbled, prepared to fall back asleep with the woman of my dreams.


	5. Teasing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I haven't updated in a while, but I found some motivation so here you go!

*Tobin's POV* 

Christen had gone back to her room just over an hour ago, telling me she had to go before Kelley got suspicious. We both knew that if Chris had spent the whole night here, which she did, and then the entire morning Kelley would figure something was up. Really, Ash and Ali were the only two to know what was going on between us, and even then, we hadn't directly confessed it to them either. 

I had planned on talking to them about it later, Christen and I had decided it best to keep ourselves hidden from the team for a while. The fans also, just to keep a little pressure off our shoulders with the whole media thing. Ali and Ash basically knew the whole thing, that was the reasoning behind letting them know, and well I trusted them both considering I was one of a few on the team that knew about them being together officially. 

Plus I did Ashlyn the solid of letting her have the room to herself and well with Ali, pretty much whenever she wanted. Which I'm sure she didn't take for granted seeing as most people would probably refuse to leave. 

In fact she had asked to "borrow" the room right now, so here I was walking towards Christen's room in hope of finding somewhere to hide out for a while. 

'Can I hang with you for a bit? Ash wanted the room for y'know, I'm sure you can guess,' I asked shyly once Chris answered the door. 

'Oh my god, I didn't need to know that. Come in, Kelley just left to ask the medical staff something, and to find food I think, so it's just us,' she replied shaking her head. 

'Oh thank god, I thought I was going to be stuck hiding somewhere,' I sighed in relief following Christen back into her room. 

'Well when you need the room to yourself, Ashlyn will owe you one,' She giggled, smiling at me. 

'I-I, uh yeah, I-I guess so,' I replied turning a deep shade of crimson red, I didn't quite think she knew what she was implying, but I sure as hell did. 

'Is poor Tobi embarrassed,' she teased pushing my shoulder, still oblivious. 

'I'm not, well like um, no,' I replied shaking my head. 

'Whatever you say Tobs,' she told me before turning around to sit on the lounge. 'I'd hope so,' she mumbled almost inaudibly, I don't think I was supposed to hear it so I pretended I didn't. 

'What were you up to before I came in?' I asked lying on the floor beside her, I'm not quite sure why I picked the floor, but it was actually more comfortable then I expected oddly enough. 

'You can sit on the lounge? I was doing yoga,' she replied once again shaking her head at me. 

'The floor is comfy though, go back to your yoga I don't want to interrupt you doing something you love,' I answered flipping onto my stomach. 

'Yeah alright, if you get off the floor,' she responded hopping up, raising an eyebrow at me. Christen went to retrieve her mat from its place in the corner, it was a soft mat designed to be more comfortable then the floor while doing the yoga poses or whatever it was she called them. They confused me beyond belief, I didn't have the patience or the balance to ever give it a go properly.

She returned to her routine quickly, she had a certain finesse that she only found while concentrating hard; yoga was one of those times she found it easily. 

I admired her toned figure in her tight yoga pants and cropped top, hopefully undetectable. Her abs flexed as she turned in different ways, she almost had me drooling after her. When I say "admired" I mean completely without shame, checking her out. 

'I can see you Tobin, don't think you're so slick,' she chuckled, changing the position she was in so that she was now facing me. 

'Huh what, I don't know what you're talking about,' I blushed from my spot on the lounge. 

'You're more obvious then you think,' she replied, stretching backwards causing her abdominal muscles to flex again. God damn Christen. 

'Do you blame me though? I mean you are the most beautiful person I know,' I shot back, biting down on my bottom lip. 

'You're making it hard to concentrate while I know you're staring,' she grinned, bringing her arms up above her head. I think I'd pay to watch this on a regular basis. 

'I can't help it, it's ten o'clock and you're all I can think of right now,' I shrugged, pretty much giving up on being even the slightest bit subtle at this point. 

'Go to sleep then?' She suggested, once again stretching her stomach in a way that had me dreaming.

'I wanna stay with you for a while though,' I answered, letting my head hit the side of the lounge softly, while continuing to watch her carefully. 

'You can stay here the night, just be in the bedroom before Kelley comes back,' she replied, sitting herself on the floor, with nothing more then a soft thud. 

'I'd have to go and get my stuff, Kelley would be back by then,' I answered, feeling my eyelids droop down a little. 

'Borrow some of mine, go get changed and I'll meet you in bed. I'll be done in less then a minute,' she smiled, setting herself into her last position. 

'Mmm okay, Ash won't mind,' I shrugged hopping up off the lounge quite noisily. 

'My shirts are in the top draw to the left, sweats are in the bottom,' she called out as I walked off towards her room. Her room was unsurprisingly neat, nothing more then one sock laying on the floor. I made why way to where I thought she was talking about, but was surprised to find nothing more then a little bit of dust. 'Tobin, your other left,' Christen laughed from the door way, having apparently finished what she was doing.

'Oh,' I grinned nervously, trying my best not to laugh at myself. I thought I learnt my left and rights in first grade, apparently not. 

'Here have these,' she chuckled throwing me a shirt and sweats. I blushed a dull red, still slightly embarrassed from getting caught out. 

'Thank you,' I grinned, walking over to the bathroom attached to the bedroom. I left the door a tiny bit open, just enough to see a little outside. I quickly slipped into Christen's already oversized shirt and pants before taking a sneaky look out the door, she was the essence of beauty itself, nothing could come close. Not only in body, but in mind, she had the most beautifully complex mind of any human being I knew. She cared about the small things, the big things, everything. 

I had to admit I was basically drawn to her, with every word she said and every action she made, I was simply drawn impossibly closer to her. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, in fact it was a beautiful thing, having someone on your mind for all the right things every day. 

'Why does it take you so long Tobs, it's been like a whole fifteen minutes,' she giggled from the other side of the room. A small wave of heat made its way onto my cheeks, once again. 

'I'm done now, it wasn't fifteen minutes, maybe like five,' I replied, flopping down beside her on the mattress. 

'How long do you think Kelley will be?' She asked, turning on her side to face me. A few strands of hair making their way across her face, covering part of her inquisitive eyes. 

'Well she's your roommate, but I think she'll only be a little longer,' I replied, timidly brushing the strands of hair from her face. 

'O-okay, that's cool,' she stammered, her cheeks blushing a dull red. I internally smiled at her reaction, she was adorable when she was flustered. 

'Yeah, at least you guys don't have to share an actual bedroom, that'd be awkward,' I laughed, just imagining how much teasing we would get if she was actually in here. 

'Tell me about it,' she replied rolling her eyes slowly, she couldn't hide the smile behind it though. 

We laid in silence, just relishing the fact we were in each other's company. I'd sit perfectly still and absolutely quiet if it meant I was in her company. 

'Christen?' I asked, slowly shifting my eyes from her lips to her eyes. 

'What's up Tobs?' She replied, locking eyes with me. 

'Would it be crazy if I said that I think I love you already? I know we've only been together for four days, but I feel like I've known you for years, and liked you for a long time,' I admitted slowly, carefully reading her facial expressions while I did. 

'I think I feel the same,' She grinned, somehow managing to inch her way even closer so we were nose to nose. I felt my heart rate rise well above normal, way higher then it ever got when I trained or played. 

'I'm so lucky to have you,' I whispered, before pressing my lips gently to hers. She reciprocated straight away, taking the opportunity to bite down softly on my bottom lip. I wanted so bad to groan in some sort of pleasure, but I contained it for now, as hard as that was. 

'Can we finish what we started the other night?' She asked, meeting my eyes once again

'Yeah, that would be great,' I replied shakily, still tasting her faintly on my lips. She smiled in response before lifting her hand to my cheek, leaning back in again. I closed the small remaining gap, kissing her softly, I've waited for this for so long, I was going to do it every chance I got. 

A faint click resonated through the room, I thought nothing of it, too caught up in the moment to register it's full meaning. I rolled myself over so I was gently straddling her waist. Not deepening the kiss but continuing it gently. Christen lifted her hands to my waist, signing in content while I tugged her bottom lip in between mine. Her fingertips lazily grazed the exposed skin on my hips, drawing small circles. 

'Tobin, Tobin,' she mumbled, breaking away quickly for air. 

'Yeah?' I replied, sitting back on her thighs. 

'Never mind, kiss me again,' she answered, putting her hands back on my waist. Shrugging gently I leant back down, placing a lingering hand on her lower stomach. Our lips met again, this time skipping the gentle part and heading straight into something heated. My tongue probed gently at the entrance to her mouth, she opened it enough to let me slide my tongue in. This immediately started a fight for dominance, Christen taking control almost immediately. 

Skilfully hooking her leg around my waist she used it as leverage to flip our positions so she could be on top. Letting her free hand wander a little it came to rest on the hem of my shirt, her fingertips dancing on the small patch of exposed skin where my shirt had risen up. Her soft lips disconnected from my own to slowly make a trail from my jawline to my neck. She placed open mouthed kisses just below my ear on the junction that connected my jaw to my neck. 

Shifting my legs slightly I became aware of a slight dampness in between my thighs, dammit Christen. 'Christen, babe we should stop,' I half moaned half groaned. 

'Not just yet,' she whispered, letting her fingertips make their way underneath my shirt and onto my now burning hot skin. The slight dampness between my legs only grew worse with her heated touch, if we didn't stop soon this wouldn't end so "friendly."

I lost all ideas of self control when I felt her soft fingertips glide over the skin on my ribs. My skin was burning at her touch, aching for more my body arched slightly off the bed, pressing our bodies together. 

'Hey I'm back, the staff sai-.... Christen? Tobin? Is that you?' A voice much different to Christen's asked. Opening my eyes wide, I met Christen's gaze, before turning to meet Kelley's. 

'Kelley?,' we both mumbled shyly, immediately removing ourselves from each other. Christen rolled down beside me burying her face in my neck, 'Maybe we should have stopped,' she whispered, her soft breath tickling my neck a little. I laughed a little at her causing Kelley to shoot us yet another questioning look. 

'Didn't you hear the rule? "No sex while we're in camp" everyone else seems to have followed it,' Kelley jokes, sitting herself on the floor.

'Wh- it wasn't like that, we weren't going to, it wasn't like that,' I stammered blushing a deep red, Kelley was absolutely going to tease us to death. 

'Oh yeah, that's why Christen's in little yoga shorts and a crop top, sure Tobin,' she grinned back, thoroughly enjoying every second of teasing she could get. 

'She was doing yoga, Kelley we were just kissing, it wasn't going to go further,' I replied wide eyed, much to the effect of a deer caught in the headlights of a car. 

'You tell yourselves that,' she grinned cheekily. 'Anyway, I need sleep. I'll leave you to it,' she finished, hopping up and walking with a bounce out of the room. 

'That was embarrassing,' Christen giggled with her face still firmly pressed against my neck. 

'You didn't even have to say anything,' I laughed with her, rolling over to face her again. 

'I know, I'm going to change then I'll come to bed, I'll be right back,' she told me, kissing my cheek softly. I watched her walk to the bathroom, promptly turning on her heels to throw me a checking grin before shutting the door, removing her figure from sight. 

'I know I said I was going, but I forgot to ask before. Why the hell did I not know about this?' Kelley asked, sticking her head in through the doorway. I swallowed nervously, tell her the truth?

'It's a pretty recent thing, nobody really knows. We just kinda had a moment then didn't look back,' I shrugged, watching her shift from her left foot to her right. 

'So how'd it happen?' She replied, flicking her gaze to the bathroom momentarily. 

'Some girl hit on me at the club, she got jealous, I was oblivious, she got flustered, we made out, left the club, tried to go sleep, couldn't, then I "adulted" and asked her to be my girlfriend,' I shrugged, smiling to myself at the memory, one I was sure I wouldn't ever forget. 

'Sounds like you guys had fun, thanks for telling me,' she grinned walking off, presumably to her bedroom. 

'Kelley wait! Don't tell anyone yet please!' I shouted out after her, even though I was sure she was already texting the whole team. 

'Yeah yeah, I won't...just yet,' she replied, hey voice coming from sole distance away. I sighed a breath of air I was unaware I was holding in, we have some time to figure this out without everyone knowing. 

'So, what did Kelley want?' Christen asked, returning from the bathroom, she flicked the light switch off quickly before literally diving into bed. 

'She was just a little curious as to why she didn't know, that's all,' I told her, rolling around to face her. She nodded softly, holding in what I assumed was a yawn. 

'Is this okay?' She asked, slipping one of her legs between mine, then wrapping an arm around my shoulder. 

'Y-yeah, of course,' I mumbled, a little too shyly, to confirm my answer I placed my arm around her waist, drawing myself closer in the process. 

'Night Tobs,' she half yawned, dropping her head down on my shoulder. 

'Goodnight Chris,' I whispered back, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. I quite enjoyed these moments, a few minutes like this was far better then hours of making out, although both we're excellent ideas. Being like this meant she was the last thing to go through my head at night, and the first in the morning.


	6. deals

'We've been in talks over the past few weeks, with not only the Red Stars players and staff, but also our own players and staff. We've negotiated a player trade between us, that is if you're still willing to sign with us,' the broad, dark haired man whom I found slightly intimidating told me. He wasn't the easiest on the eyes, he was brooding almost, his presence had you highly tense the entire time. I'm not sure if it was his voice, or the way he presented himself, but something made you scared of him.

'Who is the player leaving, if I say yes?' I asked, I needed all the facts before my signature went on that paper.

'Meg Morris, Chicago's second choice. They would have preferred Kling, but neither us as a club or Meghan herself wanted it that way. You're highly valued here Miss Press, Tobin's sweet talking probably got this started,'

'Meg? I'm going to have to speak to my club briefly outside, I'll return with an answer in five minutes,' I bartered, as long as my club was happy, and I didn't feel like I was leaving on bad terms, I was prepared to go.

************

'I want to sign with you. I'm ready to be a part of this team,' I announced briefly upon re-entering the conference room.

'The deals yours, all you need to do is sign on that line,' With a shaky hand I scrawled my signature along the uniform dotted line atop the page, then again at the bottom

*********

As I drove out of the Chicago Red Stars office car park, I realized exactly where I wanted to be. Tobin was where I wanted to be, she was where I wanted to be. I wanted Tobin to be a part of my family, I wanted to be by her side everyday until the end. I wanted to be with her when we won, and when we lost. When she was upset and when she was happy. I wanted her when she was sleepy and I wanted her when she was energetic. I wanted sleepy "good mornings" and I wanted passionate "good afternoons." I wanted to be able to roll over in the middle of a difficult night and calm down to her steady breathing. I wanted her in every way a human could possibly want something.

It was becoming problematic to say the least, here I was trying to concentrate as hard as I could on the road, only to have Tobin invade every crevice in my mind. Her voice just playing on a loop, I didn't mind it, it passed the time in between the boundless amounts of city traffic.

What I did want right now was to probably be curled up half asleep on the couch, lazily draped in a blanket watching cartoons in her apartment. What I wanted wasn't a thing, it was a human, I was going home. The thoughts circled my mind like hungry sharks around prey, they didn't leave even as I walked into the Chicago city airport,

I was set to arrive late tonight, I had been texting Tobin continuously for the past hour or so, updating her on today's events, thoughts, fears and excitement. For some reason she quite happily put up with my useless rambling and replied with equal enthusiasm. She told me she'd be waiting patiently (well maybe not so patiently) for me and we could sleep in for as long as we liked tomorrow morning, the perfect idea. I smiled lightly as I boarded a plane and got comfortable in my seat a familiar feeling by now. 

Deciding on a nap for the last two hours of the flight I let myself doze lightly while dreaming of her, cloudy wisps of old memories weaved their way into half real dreams made better with imagination. A soft kiss on a cheek, the gentle clasp of her hand on mine, even the nervous hand movement as she'd brush some hair out of my face and tuck it behind my ear. She'd take me into the kitchen, soft music playing in the background, her hand placed chivalrously on the small of my back, the other holding mine tenderly, she'd lead me in a rhythm of her own, but one I was soon to adopt. My dreams shifted one last time to the middle of a beach, puppies hanging around our feet as we walked hand in hand along a sandy pathway of an unknown journey. 

A hasty announcement from a loudspeaker aboard the plane tore me from the beach and back to reality, we had started our decent. Tobin was down below us somewhere, standing in the airport, probably hiding behind a book while tucked up in a hoodie. Neither of us had discussed our relationship in terms of anyone outside our own national team knowing that we now lived and played together in the same city. Images of my body in a Thorns jersey suddenly became more appealing as the wheels touched base.

Walking out of the tunnel that connected the plane to the terminal I spotted the easily recognizable figure of Tobin loitering around a small collection of flowers in a neat little pile. "Tobs!" I finally got out as I made my way to being close enough to reach out and touch her.

"Hey...my little Thorn," She smiled, pulling me in so close, her heartbeat hammering against my own chest, just as mine was doing to hers. 

"I missed you," I grinned, placing a soft but gentle kiss on her cheek, she blushed lightly but tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Come on, I'll get your bags and take you somewhere I love," she suggested, taking my hand softly within her own, keeping me close to her side through the endless waves of people, some staring some ignoring and some just walked by without a clue, peace.

She lifted my heavy bag up with one hand while I took my lighter one, even though I insisted on taking both. I blushed lightly at the simple gesture, shrugging gently when she asked if anyone had taken the time to treat me 'properly' like this in the first place. 

A short walk through the airport doors and into the brisk air of a new city lead us right to Tobin's black jeep, which she opened with the flick of a button, walking briskly to open the passenger side door for me, cute. After placing my bags in the back of her car she jumped into the drivers seat, started the car and began to drive towards a beach, the sun was already dipping below the coastline as we drove. Ed Sheeran's 'Kiss Me' began to play and Tobin reached across to take my hand, gently moving it with hers in a rhythm similar to the music's. It took time to adjust but I was quickly in sync, singing the words softly to her as she continued to 'dance' to a different beat with me.

The song was long over when we reached the beach, the sun had fallen a while ago, the shore was lit in the beautiful glow of pale moonlight. Without words we made our way down to the sand where we began to walk in no particular direction, her hand firmly clasped around mine, every now and then we'd stop to watch little crabs scurry across the cool sand just around our feet, it was something spectacular. The amount of stars in the sky still couldn't match the amount of feelings swelling in my chest as I looked to my right, where a softly illuminated Tobin walked.

I yawned quietly just as Tobin had decided to look over, "Time to get you to bed sleepy head," she grinned softly, walking us back towards her car. 

***************

"Sleepy head, wake up," A soft voice whispered in between feather light kisses on my cheek.

"Yeah, later," I returned grumpily, rolling my body over so that my face was covered.

"Don't make me do this, babe," Tobin's sweet but also lightly seductive voice rang out.

"Do what?" I mumbled, my words muffled due to several pillows now covering my face. I didn't really get a reply, until that is Tobin jumped onto my mid section, making the mattress dip further. I heard her chuckle to herself softly, that couldn't be good. Before I knew what was happening I felt Tobin's fingertips begin to gently run along the side of my stomach, instantly causing my body to tense briefly, until a fit of giggles took over. "Tobinnnnn, stopppp" I breathed out in between giggles. I tried to throw my pillows at her but she just ducked and weaved out of the way, dammit.

"Are you going to get up?" She asked, grinning as I struggled to keep quiet. I wanted to say no and cuddle back up to her and nap again, but it was past midday and I was starving, I'd have to get up.

"Yeah yeah, only because I'm hungry," I joked back, knowing we had to go to a stupid meeting with the Thorns in an hour. I only say stupid because I'd rather be here.

********** 

Tobin's POV

I'd been completely enthralled with Chris since she had gotten here, trying to be the cutest person I could be, something different was stirring in my chest and I couldn't quite pick it.

Christen sat beside me, silently reading her book, her eyes glimmered as she skimmed over the pages. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth at what must have been a good part.

I could put it between my teeth...

Or not, maybe not, defiantly not. Her concentration was probably a good thing, had she of noticed the way I was looking at her I probably wouldn't live.

What if you just kissed her neck, then hid...

Woah, let's not go there Tobs, let's just leave this-

"Earth to Tobin," Christen said into the silent space, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Huh sorry what," I replied dragging myself away from any previous thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, eyeing me as if she knew exactly what it was already.

"Stuff...this and that, you know," I replied shrugging.

"Right, so do you stare often when you think?" She asked, a soft smirk gracing her lips.

"I uh, yeah all the time," I tried to play it cool.

"Right, so it has nothing to do with anything sexual," she smirked.

"Well I guess, but I respect your decision, you aren't ready for anything further," I answered shrugging.

"Maybe I've thought about it carefully, maybe I'm ready," she replied putting her book down, not without first marking her page with a small bookmark.

"Are you?" I asked.

"Come find out," she replied, biting her lip again.

"Are you one hundred percent sure you're ready, I don't want to mess us up," I ask, I needed her to be certain, I can't mess this up. If I lost her I'd loose a part of myself with her.

"I'm ready," She whispered wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Stop me if you get uncomfortable then...straight away," I answer moving myself up as close to her as possible. Placing my hands flat upon her firm abdomen, moving up under her shirt before she had time to protest.

"Tobs... Do you really want this, with me?" She questioned, her soft eyed glance meeting my own.

"More then anything," I whispered in her ear.

"Then I want you as much as you want me right now," she admitted shyly.

"Great," I stated simply before kissing her fully on the mouth, something I'd been dreaming of for a while now. Her lips tasted faintly of strawberry, something I could get used to. The kiss turned heated in a matter of seconds however when she made the mistake of letting out a small moan.

Dragging her towards my bedroom without breaking the kiss was a tedious task but we managed, neither of us willing to let go. Once I had her in my room she was immediately pressed up against the wall, I broke the kiss only to begin kissing the sensitive spot on her neck causing her to squirm against my body.

"Can I?" She asked quietly gesturing to my shirt which she had firmly in her grasp. I nodded and within seconds my shirt was in a heap on the floor along with her own. Our pants followed soon after leaving her almost completely bare in front of me.

"You're so beautiful," I hummed, letting my eyes wander her perfectly toned body.

"Shh," she hushed while blushing.

"Are you sure?" I asked one last time.

"I'm perfectly sure, Baby," she whispered in my ear. I shivered involuntarily against her skin, backing us up towards the bed, when the back of my legs hit the mattress I lowered us down sitting Chris on my lap. Her bare thighs slipped over mine so she was straddling my lap.

"You're so perfect," I mumbled kissing her neck, I repeated it a few times, until I kissed my way down to her collarbones.

"Tobs, I need you," she moaned, grinding herself along my thighs. I smirked against her neck, biting down softly, soothing the spot with my tongue seconds later.

"What do you want?" I husked in her ear, lust almost completely taking over my body.

"Anything, as long as you do it now," she replied, throwing her head back as I kissed the base of her throat.

"Grind on me naked, and I'll slide my fingers into you, babe," I spoke, letting my lips brush against her neck as I did.

"Get me naked then," Christen moaned back, squirming slightly when the flat of my teeth hit her neck.

"Can I then?" I asked, referring to her lacy bra.

"Tobin, you can do whatever the hell you want to me right now," she moaned as I ran my palm over her covered breast. Sliding my hand around her back I almost skilfully unclasped her bra, sliding it slowly down her shoulders. Goosebumps rose on her skin as I kissed my way from her collarbone to her right breast, placing open mouthed kisses around it until I carefully tugged her nipple in between my teeth sucking it lightly, eliciting a series of small whimpers from the girl above me. I payed equal attention with my thumb and forefinger to the other side while she dug her nails into my shoulders, It wasn't hard enough to break the skin but it was definitely good. I began to slide my free hand inside the last remaining piece of fabric on her.

"You're so wet," I whispered in her ear, dragging her panties down her tanned legs. She pulled them the rest of the way off straight away, the she began to slip my sports bra off with a little struggle before discarding my briefs on the floor.

"All for you Baby," she whimpered again, grinding her hips hard against my hand.

"You came off as more of a dominant person," I whispered, flipping our position so she was now laying flat on the bed, while I hovered powerfully above her.

"Oh I can be, just you wait," she grinned, running her hands along the length of my back, digging her nails in the second time down.

"I'm waiting, patiently?" I laughed, dipping my head to kiss her, running my tongue along her bottom lip silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss, she granted it immediately. Sliding my hand painfully slow down her body I slowly made my way to her core. "Ready?" I asked one last time.

"Mmm...yeah, absolutely," she returned as if she was out of breath. With her permission definitely given I started by running a finger between her folds a few times. Then moving to play with her clit, causing her to moan several times and buck her hips. "Don't tease," she whimpered when I moved my way down to kiss her thighs.

"What's the fun in that," I teased, kissing the top of her thigh. Watching her squirm was great, in fact it was almost my favourite thing, but she looked like she would murder me if I continued it. Deciding against continuing along that path, I gently began to run my tongue over her clit. Soft enough to not cause any major build up, but hard enough for a considerable amount of pleasure.

"Fuck, Tobin...don't stop," she moaned loudly, tangling her hand in my hair, digging in towards my scalp. Using her new grip in my hair she only pushed me in closer, egging me on. I didn't know I had it in me to do the things I was doing right now, my tongue darted fast at times, then painfully slow, building her up closer to the edge. With every movement her hand flexed in my hair, or she moaned out yet another curse. She became so needy for some form of release that she began to grind her hips against my tongue.

I continued to run my hands over her thighs right up until I had her moaning my name as she climaxed. Her eyes rolled back slightly as her body shuddered and twitched in my grip. She dragged me up by my hair, kissing me harshly on the mouth, our tongues mingled immediately.

"You taste so good," I smirked against her lips. She didn't reply, but instead kissed me again, letting her tongue do all the talking. Hooking her leg around my waist she flipped our position so she was now above me.

Unexpectedly I felt her begin to slip a finger deep into my core, the gentlest of movements had me rolling my eyes back. "Chris..." I moaned out, pushing my hips against her hand. The next thing I knew she had two fingers inside me, thrusting them in and out at a fast pace.

"You're soaked," she grinned, rubbing my clit with her thumb. I cursed about five times in those five seconds, throwing my head back against the pillows. She had something going only she could do, only she could satisfy the need inside me, and god was she doing a good job right now.

"Christen...." I mumbled out shakily.

"Shh baby,"


	7. Attached

*Christens POV*

"Hey Tobs, can you throw me a water bottle?' I asked a shirtless Tobin from my current position of laying flat on the grass, feeling like I was potentially about to die.

"Sure can" she grins stretching over towards the bottles. The way she turned flexed every muscle in her back and shoulder, to put it simply, I liked it a lot.

"Thank you, Babe," I reply catching the small plastic container haphazardly.

"You're welcome, Chris," She smiled before collapsing beside me.

"You look hot,' I state rolling over to face her on the grass. 'Well like sweaty hot, because we've been training, actually you're hot either way, oh my god make me shut up,' I add, blushing furiously.

"Well, I mean if that's what you want," she replied cheekily.

"I'm not objecting to that," I answered leaning closer to the midfielder.

"Good," she told me closing the small distance between us. Her lips met mine ever so gently, timidly even. I reciprocated straight away placing my hand on her cheek. We found a steady rhythm of our own, our lips moving in sync. Her hand found its way onto my lower thigh as I continued to kiss her. Raising her hand up higher I involuntarily moaned at the contact.

She smirked at my reaction detaching her lips from mine only to reconnect them to my neck. "Tobs," I moaned as she found the soft spot under my ear. I wanted her so bad, the urge to take her right here was almost overwhelming. Her free hand slipped up under my shirt effortlessly, running the length of my left side. She rolled herself over so she was now straddling me, reattaching my lips to hers I kissed her harder then normal, trying to get as much contact with her as I could. I began to steadily trail my hands down her back, taking in the feeling of her hot skin under my fingertips. Her hips dropped down so she was gently sitting on my lap, she eyed me like she had something to say but didn't want to say it.

"What?" I asked, dragging my nails down her back. She leaned down to kiss me again while I continued my mission with my nails.

"Can we take this somewhere else?" She asked, humming in pleasure as my nails dug in slightly.

"I can't...Tobin I'm sorry," I reply, dropping my hands from her back, using them to hide my face instead.

"It's okay, I understand," she replied rolling off my lap and tugging me into her so she could hug me tightly.

"Thank you," I sighed, feeling the wetness of a tear roll down my cheek. I tucked myself right into her chest, burying my face in her shoulder.

"Is this what was bothering you at my place?" She asked, kissing my forehead gently.

"A little," I mumbled, hoping to god I wouldn't have to explain it right now.

"Can we talk about it? If you're not ready now, later tonight?" She asked gingerly, choosing her words carefully.

"Yeah, you deserve to know why, when we get back to the room tonight?" I replied, lifting my head to meet her gaze.

"Thank you," she smiled, brushing away a few loose strands of hair from my face.

"Hey love birds, you've got thirty minutes until team dinner, so I suggest you detach yourselves from each other and put on something appropriate," Julie shouts from the sideline with Kling alongside her, Kling's small figure was almost invisible in the harsh sunlight.

"Fine," we both grumble at the same time causing us both to laugh.

*Tobin's POV*

Christen had gone with Kling to the dinning room after she got ready, Julie was still waiting with me until I was finished; she wanted to talk to me apparently.

"I saw you two getting a little more then friendly earlier, why'd you stop?" Julie asked as I looked for a suitable pair of shoes.

"She said she couldn't, so I didn't push it. I want us to last a very very long time, and that means respecting her in every way possible," I replied taking out a pair of vans, they'd have to do for now.

"You know, I'm only telling you this because you're dating my best friend and because I believe you love her. The last time she dated someone, he was very pushy with her, didn't respect her decisions, it almost completely mentally ruined her by the end of the relationship. What you did today, by not pushing anything would have just built her trust in you by about ten fold. Be gentle with her okay?" She told me, worry and trust both evident in her facial features. My heart broke inside once she finished, there was literal pain. I can't believe anyone would treat her so badly, break her trust like that. A stray tear made its way down my cheek, I was heartbroken for her.

"I can't believe anyone would treat her like that...thank you for telling me, I understand why she's hesitant now. I think my heart just broke for her JJ," I admitted wiping the tears from my face.

"Just make sure she's safe with you Tobin, or I'll get Hope on your ass, I trust you," she told me sternly.

"I promise I will, I-I love her," I responded with a slight stutter.

"I trust you, and I know she does too," Julie offered with a smile.

"I don't really usually tell everyone about my sex life, but the other night, Christen and I like, you know. Anyway, she didn't stop me then, why now?" I asked, albeit a little awkwardly.

"You did?" She returned, her face slightly scrunched up. Not that I expected it, but her reaction was almost comical, the sweet innocent Christen in bed with the badass, snapback wearing surfer type. Not that Christen acted even close to innocent in bed. 

"Is that a bad thing?" I queried, a little shocked at her response.

"No no, I'm just surprised she let you get that far. I'm glad she let you in close enough, something might have happened today to make her a little on edge, just talk to her about it and see what happens," Julie explained, looking more relieved than she had two minuets ago.

"Oh, okay. We should probably head down now," I prompted, leading the way to dinner. I skipped my way down, scanning the empty halls for a sign of my beautiful girl, not that I could find her anywhere at this moment in time. 

The hall like area where we had our meals was mostly bare, the white paint surrounded every open space, covered every wall. It was eerie and uncomfortable. The odd brought from the flea market and mass produced painting was hung seven to eight times around the building, it really wasn't as comfortable as home. Yet, a piece of home was here, it was twenty meters away, in front of a table. with dark hair and flawless skin, it was a girl, Christen. 

"Stop staring," Julie giggled from beside me, her infectious laugh sent me into a small fit of my own.

"I wasn't!" I tried telling her, although I most certainly was and we both knew it. I'd look at that girl all day if I could, no doubt about it.

"It's great that you're both in love and all, but I'll gag soon if you don't stop," JJ smirked, nudging my ribs with a gentle force.

******

*Christens POV*

I sat with Kelley alone in the dinning hall, we were slightly early but I didn't mind. The place felt bare but the smell of food was almost enough to distract you from anything, there was so many different things in the mix I couldn't tell what was being cooked.

Tobin's presence was made known when I heard her soft but loud giggle from across the room, she was talking to Julie and walking in towards our table. Her eyes met mine while I was staring and I saw Julie nudge her in the ribs, odd.

She pranced her way over, with a certain bounce in her step that could only mean certain trouble, although her cheeky type of trouble was something I'd always loved about her. With a grin she took the seat beside me and grinned, "Hey baby," 

"Hi," I smiled, blushing a little at her comment. 

Tobin was extra clingy at dinner tonight, she stuck by my side the entire time and held my hand under the table for almost the entire time too. I didn't know why, but I appreciated the contact a lot.

Even when she got up to go somewhere, she always glanced back at me every now and then. I knew she could be protective at times, but generally she was a little more relaxed. "What's on your mind?" I asked her once she had returned to the table.

"You and food, but mostly you," she replied, the playful version of herself becoming imminent once again. I should have guessed that her response would have involved food, she loves the stuff.

"Honestly, you are such a dork," I laughed, watching her face form a pout. I liked it when she pouted, she was always cute but the pout was something else entirely. 

"Well I'm your dork," she adds, shuffling her chair closer to mine, not that it wasn't already pretty much touching.

"Don't get too close, people will think we're dating," I tried to say seriously, but ended up smiling wider then normal. I liked saying the word dating, it made everything feel real, possibly the only thing that felt real every second of every day.

"That would be ever so terrible if they thought that, so so terrible. And to think Kelley walked in on me kissing you. They'd never think that. Ever," she deadpanned, lacing her fingers with mine.

"Don't remind me, that was so embarrassing," I laughed, blushing at the memory. Hopefully never to happen again. Tobs grinned, real cheeky like, before kissing my cheek. 

"It's a little cold down here isn't it?" Tobin asked, rubbing her arms in little circular motions.

"Wanna head back up? Ashlyn's got Ali in your room tonight, so JJ went to take Ali's place with Kling, so basically what I'm saying is we have the room to ourselves to talk," I asked, leaning herself on my side.

"Sure that sounds like a good idea," she answered, subconsciously slipping her arm around my waist. We walked up the flights of stairs that led to room hand in hand, stealing the occasional kiss when the public wasn't watching, the big dork by the name of Tobin had me completely and utterly whipped. Sliding the keycard into the door, I showed Tobin over to the small green couch situated in the middle of the second room. We sat, in silence for a long time, just staring at each other.

"I don't know where to start Tobs," I finally admitted while running a hand through my hair in a swift motion. 

"Start where you feel most uncomfortable, I've got you the whole way through," Tobin smiled softly, leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"Okay. I got this. Alright so, I'm assuming JJ mentioned my ex to some degree?" I paused, waited for a nod, I got one. "Well, he wasn't so much a he, more or less, another woman. The first I'd been with, well sober for that matter. We dated for two years, close to two and a half. On our two years and five month anniversary I logged onto my social media to find an account with her photo, but not one I followed. Long story short she was cheating on me, and had been since the fifth month that we'd been together. It hurt a lot, I cried and cried, for days which is a little embarrassing. She never told me why, I think that may be the bit that damaged me the most, because as far as I could tell we were both in love with each other, and each other only. I Get nervous with these things now, I get to a point were I just overthink everything. Sorta like this afternoon, which I am sorry for by the way," I divulged, I could feel a tear welling up but I did my best to ignore it. 

"Aw babe, I'm so sorry, I don't really know what to say. Except I vow to treat you right every day, not once will I put you in that position. Come here," Tobin answered, dragging me into a gentle hug, I'm a little afraid to admit it, but I just sat there and cried on her shoulder. "We'll take this slow, as slow as you need," She whispered, running her hands through my hair soothingly.

*********

"I know we just talked about me struggling to get intimate, but I can't keep my hands off of you right now," Christen breathed deeply into Tobin's ear, her voice becoming low and raspy as she roughly pushed Tobin into her bedroom wall.

Christen got even closer if somehow possible, digging her hands into the back pockets of Tobins dark jeans and squeezing gently. Tobin's heart rate increased significantly, she placed her palms on Christens collarbones and lent in to kiss her. Christen reacted quick, pushing Tobin so her back hit the kitchen bench behind her, lifting her hands to Tobins face she cupped it gently and kissed her deeper.

"What happened to slow?" Tobin asked, her breathing was heavy and her pupils were extremely dilated. 

"Slow, I don't know, I trust you a whole lot more than I normally would anyone else and you're turning me on," Christen revealed, kissing along Tobins sharp jawline and down down her neck between words, hitting her partially exposed collarbones in the process. 

"Turning you on? I haven't done anything," Tobin grinned, gasping when she felt Christens front grind into her own.

"You don't need to babygirl," Christen moaned slightly, letting her hands wander Tobins tanned skin. Tobin didn't need to reply, instead she got her response when Christens hand slipped into her jeans. "For someone who tried to make excuses, you're extremely wet," the darker haired girl giggled. 

"I can't help it," Tobin replied, her cheeks burning a bight red, something about the younger girl taking control turned her desperately on. Tobin's eyes closed momentarily as Christen ran her fingers through Tobins wetness and up to gently rub her clit. The older girl kept her eyes shut tight as Christen worked her up, moaning out a variety of curse words.

"Open your eyes, I want you to watch me fuck you," Christen whispered into Tobins ear, the older girl shuddered at Christens dominance and almost came right then and here. Tobin reached down to unzip her skinny jeans, painfully aware of how much she wanted the younger girl inside her right now. Using one hand she slid her jeans as far down her legs as she could get and spread her legs a little bit, hoping Christen would take the hint. Christens eyes widened a little at the site of Tobin, she was wearing a small pair of black lace panties that exposed almost all of her bare ass.

"Chris baby, fuck me," Tobin moaned, grinding on the younger girls fingers, to an extent where Christen almost sunk her fingers into her but pulled away at the last second. Christen took Tobin by the waist and pushed her roughly down on the bed, coming up between her legs and practically ripping Tobins panties from her legs. Christen was all but licking her lips as she devoured Tobin up in her mind. 

Spreading Tobin's tanned legs Christen kissed her way down each of the dirty blondes thighs, carefully she moved in, tasting Tobin's wetness on the tip of her tongue. She went in for a long slow exploratory movement, she went from top to bottom with soft movements that aided almost nil in what Tobin was feeling. Tobin's hands tangled in Christens dark hair as her tongue moved faster against Tobins clit. "Baby, fingers please," Tobin moaned, digging her nails into Christens back.

"Only because you're being a good girl," Christen whispered into the air. Tobin's skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and the air smelt distinctively like sex and was full of Tobin's moans. Christen slowly sunk two fingers into Tobin, thrusting slowly at first as Tobin's walls tightened around her but soon enough she quickened her pace as Tobin rocked her hips against her fingers. 

"More baby, please," Tobin begged, she was so close to finishing but not quite there. 

"More huh?" Christen smirked, adding a third finger and immediately seeing Tobin's gorgeous eyes roll backwards. Tobin was so tight, it was almost a miracle that Christen could fit three fingers inside her.

"I'm going to cum, make me cum Chris" The older girl moaned, her moans had gone a slightly higher pitch than before and Christen was lapping it up. 

"Cum for my baby," Christen whispered before ducking her head to let her tongue finish the work as she continued to finger Tobin. The older girls back arched as her walls tightened around Christen's fingers before she finally gave out, Christen helped her ride out her orgasm by slowing the pace that her fingers were working at and eventually returning to kiss Tobin again. Her soft kiss turned heated as Christen began to moan into Tobin's mouth. 

While still underneath Christen the older girl removed the girls black thong and short shorts in one motion, Christen could feel how soaked she was, even more so when the bigger girl grabbed onto Christens tiny waist and lifted her so that she was effectively riding Tobin's face. Tobins hands dug into the skin of Christen's ass, digging her nails in just a little. Her tongue worked fast as Christen grinded against it, the younger girl grasped the beds headboard to stable herself as Tobin got rougher. 

Christen was already so turned on from Tobin's submissiveness it took her less than a minute to cum, even less for Tobin to lick her clean. "Fuck you're hot tonight," Tobin smirked, lowering Christen down to sit on her lap. 

"I've never done that so like, in control before," Christen blushed. Tobin smiled wide at her reaction, lifting a hand to play with Christens erect nipples. 

"I like it, it's definitely your thing," Tobin grinned, rubbing her thumb against Christens clit which caused a flurry of small moans.

"Open my top drawer," Christen smirked, grinding on Tobins fingers even harder. Tobin lent across without removing her thumb to open up Christens drawer. 

"Oh my god, you didn't," Tobin grinned wide, her heartbeat increasing at her sudden burst of excitement.


End file.
